Film Reviews by Dai Bach

A brilliantly made and highly moving film. Great battle scenes and an interesting insight into the political situation in the Netherlands in the mid-17th century. The final scenes involving Admiral Michiel de Ruyter and his family are especially emotional.

As a sailor myself, I could pick any number of holes in this film but I won't because, overall, the film brilliantly captured the atmosphere of being a lone sailor in a crisis situation. Robert Redford's acting was superb. He brought reality to the situation with his initial feelings of despair and helplessness before setting about getting to grips with the problems in an intelligent way. It's a pity about the ending, which was so implausible. It would have been more realistic if he'd been rescued from the surface rather than miraculously recovering at depth. Oh and just one piece of advice Robert, next time you go on deck in a storm, please put your washboards back in and close the cabin hatch. Leaving everything open is just asking for trouble!

Dave S